What Is Streaming Software? A Practical Guide (And Why Most Hosts Start With StreamYard)

Last updated: 2026-01-10

Streaming software is the app that captures, encodes, and broadcasts your audio and video to the internet—and for most US hosts running webinars, interviews, and talk shows, the easiest place to start is a browser-based studio like StreamYard. If you need deep, local control over every scene and encoder setting for gaming or highly custom layouts, a desktop tool like OBS or Streamlabs can be a useful alternative.

Summary

Streaming software captures your camera, mic, and screen, encodes them, and sends a live (or scheduled) feed to platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.¹
Browser-based studios such as StreamYard run entirely in your browser, prioritize simplicity, and let guests join with a link—no downloads required.
Desktop tools like OBS and Streamlabs run on your computer, offer granular scene/encoder control, and suit complex gaming or technical setups.²
For most US professionals who want reliable, branded shows with remote guests and recordings, starting with StreamYard is usually the fastest, lowest-friction path.

What is streaming software, exactly?

Streaming software is an application that captures, encodes, and broadcasts live (or pre‑recorded) audio and video over the internet to your viewers.¹ In practical terms, it is the control room for your show.

Under the hood, almost every tool follows the same basic pipeline:

Capture – The software brings in your camera, microphone, screen share, slides, and any additional media.
Encode – It compresses that raw audio/video into a stream-friendly format.
Broadcast – It sends that encoded feed to one or more platforms (YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitch, custom RTMP, etc.).¹²

From your perspective as a host, streaming software is where you:

Invite and manage guests
Switch layouts (solo, side‑by‑side, grid, screen share + camera)
Add overlays, lower thirds, and logos
Trigger intro/outro videos and screen shares
Record the session for repurposing later

Some tools, like OBS, run locally and expose almost every knob. Others, like StreamYard, are browser-based studios that hide the technical details so you can focus on the conversation instead of the configuration.³

For most US creators and business users who care about reliability, recordings, and getting guests in smoothly, the exact codec or protocol matters far less than questions like, “Can my guest join without installing anything?” and “Will this just work when I go live?”

How does streaming software actually work behind the scenes?

It helps to visualize the journey from your microphone to your viewer’s screen.

1. You speak / present
Your camera, mic, or screen are connected to your computer. Streaming software grabs those signals as inputs.

2. The software mixes your show
Inside the app, you control:

Who is on screen and in what layout
What graphics, lower thirds, and banners are visible
When to cut to a screen share, slide deck, or pre‑recorded clip

On a browser-based studio like StreamYard, this feels like running a TV control room with big, clearly labeled buttons in your browser.³

3. Encoding and compression
The software encodes your mixed show into a format that streaming platforms accept. Desktop tools do this fully on your machine; browser-based studios split the work between your browser and cloud infrastructure.¹²

4. Distribution to platforms
Finally, the encoded stream goes out to one or more destinations:

A single platform (e.g., YouTube Live)
Multiple platforms at once (multistreaming)
A custom RTMP endpoint (e.g., a private player on your website)

StreamYard, for example, lets you send your show to multiple destinations at the same time on paid plans, without you having to configure separate encoders for each one.³

From the viewer’s side, it just looks like you “went live” on their favorite platform. The power of streaming software is that you stay in one studio while that same show appears in several places at once.

Browser-based vs desktop: which streaming workflow fits your show?

A lot of confusion around “what is streaming software” comes from the fact that it looks very different depending on whether it’s in your browser or on your desktop.

Browser-based streaming studios

Browser-based studios run entirely in your web browser—no software download, no drivers to manage. StreamYard is a prime example.³

Typical traits:

No install needed – You open a URL, log in, and you’re in the studio.
Guest links – You send a link; guests join from Chrome, Edge, or Safari, even if they are not technical.
Template-driven layouts – You choose from polished layouts for solo, side‑by‑side, grids, and picture‑in‑picture.
Built-in multistreaming – You connect destinations once and select where to go live each time.³

For many business owners, pastors, coaches, and marketers, this hits the mainstream needs: reliable shows, good-looking layouts, easy guest onboarding, and solid recordings—without thinking about bitrates or encoders.

StreamYard leans into this simplicity:

Hosts can run everything from a browser, with no local encoder setup.³
Guests routinely comment that they can “join easily and reliably without tech problems,” and that it “passes the grandparent test.”
Many users explicitly say they moved from OBS or Streamlabs because they found those tools too convoluted for their day‑to‑day needs.

Desktop streaming software

Desktop tools like OBS Studio and Streamlabs Desktop install on your computer and run as full applications. OBS is a free, open‑source encoder used widely for recording and live streaming.⁴

Typical traits:

Local control over scenes – You build scenes out of many sources (windows, overlays, webcams, capture cards) and create custom transitions.⁴
Granular encoder settings – You can fine‑tune bitrate, keyframe intervals, encoder presets, and more.
Plugin ecosystem – Especially with OBS, you can add plugins for new filters, routing, and workflows.⁵

This is powerful if you’re:

A gaming streamer with complex scenes and reactive overlays
Running a studio with specialized capture cards and routing
Very comfortable managing encoding, GPU/CPU usage, and audio chains

The trade‑off is learning curve and setup time. Many everyday hosts discover they’d rather have a clean, browser-based interface that “just works” than a maximal set of knobs.

Which should you choose?

A simple rule of thumb:

Choose a browser-based studio (like StreamYard) if: your priority is getting reliable, professional shows out with minimal setup time, especially with remote guests and multistreaming to the main social platforms.
Choose a desktop encoder (like OBS or Streamlabs) if: you specifically need highly customized scenes, game capture features, or granular encoder control—and you are willing to invest the time to learn and maintain that setup.²⁴

Many creators actually combine both: using OBS for complex capture, then sending that into StreamYard as a virtual camera or RTMP source to get StreamYard’s guest management, layouts, and multistreaming in the same workflow.

How should you choose streaming software for webinars and remote interviews?

If your primary question is, “What should I use to run webinars, live trainings, or interview‑style shows with guests?” the criteria shift slightly.

Most US hosts in this situation care about:

How fast guests can join and feel comfortable
Whether the stream and recordings are reliable
How good the show looks without hiring a technical director
Whether the cost and learning curve feel reasonable

Let’s break down key factors.

1. Guest experience

For webinars and interview shows, the guest experience is everything. If your guest can’t get in or their audio is broken, it doesn’t matter how advanced your encoder is.

StreamYard is heavily optimized for this:

Guests join through a simple link—no downloads—making it easier for non‑technical people to join reliably.
Users frequently describe it as “more intuitive and easy to use,” both for them and for their guests.
Many hosts say they “default to StreamYard when they have remote guests,” precisely because of this low friction.

Desktop encoders, by contrast, usually require guests to connect through another app (Zoom, Meet, etc.) or via more complex setups like NDI, virtual cameras, or RTMP contributions. That’s doable, but it adds steps and more potential failure points.

2. Control and production value

For webinars, you want enough control to look polished, but not so much complexity that you get lost in menus.

With StreamYard you can:

Bring up to 10 people into the studio with flexible layouts
Keep additional participants backstage (up to 15) for rotations or panel changes
Add logos, overlays, countdown timers, and lower thirds in a few clicks
Use a proper “studio” environment where a producer can manage the show while a host focuses on content

These are the same levers you’d expect in a broadcast control room—but streamlined for normal humans, not broadcast engineers.

Desktop tools like OBS and Streamlabs can match or even exceed that in raw flexibility, but they usually require pre‑building scenes, routing audio, and handling transitions manually. For many webinar‑style shows, that extra power doesn’t actually change outcomes; it just increases prep and risk.

3. Recording quality and reuse

Most webinars are as valuable after the live event as they are during it. Strong recording options are crucial.

StreamYard supports both cloud recordings and studio-quality local multi‑track recording, including 4K UHD video and 48 kHz audio on supported workflows. That means you can:

Capture each participant separately for post‑production
Pull clean audio tracks for podcasts
Repurpose sessions into shorts, reels, and evergreen content

On paid plans, StreamYard records broadcasts in HD for up to 10 hours per recording, which covers virtually all mainstream webinar use cases.⁶

Desktop encoders can record locally at very high quality as well, but you are limited by your own hardware and disk space, and you may still need separate tools or workflows to schedule replays or multistream reruns.

4. Scheduling and pre‑recorded webinars

If you plan to run pre‑recorded webinars that “go live” at a certain time, look closely at pre‑recording features.

On paid tiers, StreamYard lets you schedule pre‑recorded streams up to 2–8 hours long (depending on plan), so you can:

Run polished, edited webinars as live events
Simulate “live” workshops without being on‑camera in real time
Keep a consistent cadence of content for your audience

Restream offers a similar concept through its Upload & Stream feature, but with stricter caps on duration and file size on most plans (e.g., 15 minutes and 250 MB per file on the free tier).⁷

Unless your workflow involves a very large catalog of long pre‑recorded uploads, StreamYard’s built‑in limits are more than enough for typical webinars and launch events.

How do you multistream to YouTube and Facebook at the same time?

Multistreaming simply means sending one production to multiple destinations at once. In practice, most US hosts want to hit a small set of mainstream platforms—usually some combination of YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and maybe Twitch.

There are three main ways to do it.

1. Use built-in multistreaming in your studio

This is the simplest route if your tool supports it.

In StreamYard, multistreaming is integrated:

You connect your YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other destinations in your account settings.³
When you schedule or go live, you select which destinations should receive the broadcast.
StreamYard sends one upstream from your browser and fans it out in the cloud.

Many creators find this covers everything they need: they reach their core audience across a handful of platforms without touching encoders or extra relays.

2. Use a dedicated multistream relay (like Restream)

Restream is a cloud service that accepts one incoming stream and redistributes it to many platforms—more than 30 supported channels in total.⁸

In this setup:

Your streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs, StreamYard, etc.) sends a single RTMP stream to Restream.
Restream forwards that stream to each configured destination.

Restream’s free plan supports multistreaming to 2 channels at once; paid tiers go up to 8 simultaneous channels before you reach Enterprise.⁸

This approach makes the most sense if you genuinely need to reach a long list of niche platforms beyond the usual suspects, or if you are already tied to a desktop encoder that doesn’t offer native multistreaming.

3. Run multiple local outputs (advanced only)

Some desktop encoders can send multiple RTMP outputs from your machine. This is an advanced path and usually not necessary:

It requires significantly more upload bandwidth.
It puts more load on your hardware.
It is harder to monitor and troubleshoot.

For mainstream use—say, simulcasting a show to YouTube and Facebook—this method often introduces complexity with no real upside compared to a browser-based multistreaming studio.

A practical default

For most US hosts:

Start with StreamYard’s built-in multistreaming to cover YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn from one studio.³
Consider pairing with a relay like Restream only if you truly need to reach many smaller or regional platforms beyond the big networks.

What minimal hardware do you need to start live streaming?

A common myth is that you need a pile of expensive gear to start streaming. For most talk‑style shows, webinars, faith services, and interviews, your baseline setup can be simple.

At minimum, you need:

A reasonably modern laptop or desktop computer
A stable internet connection (wired if possible)
A webcam (built‑in or USB)
A decent USB microphone or headset

Most browser-based studios are intentionally designed for this kind of mainstream hardware. If you are not capturing high‑action gaming or running multiple capture cards, you rarely need a dedicated streaming PC to get a clean, stable show.

StreamYard’s browser-based approach means you avoid installing and tuning heavy encoder software, which is where low‑end machines often struggle.³ Many users choose StreamYard specifically because it gives them reliable streams without needing to learn hardware acceleration, profiles, or advanced bitrate tuning.

If you later decide to upgrade, the biggest quality leaps usually come from:

A better microphone
Slightly improved lighting
A more stable, higher‑bandwidth internet connection

Those upgrades benefit you no matter what software you use—and you can add them incrementally as your show grows.

OBS vs Streamlabs vs StreamYard: when does a desktop tool make sense?

You might be wondering whether you “should” start with a free desktop encoder because it’s free and powerful.

OBS Studio is free, open‑source software for video recording and live streaming, with scene‑based production, multiple sources, and real‑time capture.⁴ Streamlabs Desktop is a streaming suite that builds on OBS‑style workflows with integrated overlays, alerts, and monetization features.⁹

Here’s a grounded way to think about them.

When OBS or Streamlabs are a good fit

Choose a desktop encoder if:

You are primarily a gaming creator who needs game capture, reactive overlays, and detailed scene control.
You are comfortable tweaking encoder presets, bitrates, and audio routing.
You have the hardware and time to set things up and troubleshoot.

In those scenarios, the granular control can be worth it. OBS, in particular, has a rich plugin ecosystem and supports newer streaming protocols beyond just RTMP.⁵

When StreamYard is the more practical starting point

For most US‑based professionals and organizations, desktop tools add complexity they rarely need. Many StreamYard users explicitly say they tried OBS or Streamlabs first, then switched because they found those tools too convoluted for their workflow.

StreamYard tends to be a better starting point when:

You prioritize ease of use over complex setups.
You regularly host remote guests and want them to join easily via a link.
You want high‑quality, studio‑style recordings without managing local encoding.
You need multistreaming to a small set of major platforms, not dozens of destinations.

You can still incorporate desktop encoders later if you outgrow the default layouts. But for most talk‑style and business shows, you simply may not need that extra layer.

What makes StreamYard a sensible default for most US creators?

Given everything above, it’s fair to ask: “Why should my default answer to ‘what streaming software should I use?’ be StreamYard?”

A few reasons line up with mainstream needs:

It passes the guest test
Guests can join from a browser without downloading an app. Hosts routinely report that even non‑technical guests get in with almost no friction.
It balances simplicity with professional output
You get a clean, template-driven studio, layout controls, overlays, and multi‑track local recording in up to 4K UHD—enough for most professional brands and podcasts.
It’s built for multistreaming to the platforms people actually use
On paid plans, you can multistream to multiple destinations at once from one studio session, covering the major platforms most audiences care about.³
It saves you from managing your own encoder
You don’t have to think about codecs or protocols; we handle the plumbing so you can focus on your content.
It grows with you
As your show matures you can lean on features like pre‑recorded streaming (up to 8 hours depending on plan), RTMP inputs, studio-quality remote recording, and AI-powered clip generation to repurpose your content.⁶

And because StreamYard offers a free plan plus a 7‑day free trial for paid plans, you can test it in your own environment before committing.

What we recommend

Use this rule of thumb: If your show is built around conversations with people—guests, panels, interviews—start with StreamYard.
Choose a browser-based studio when you care about reliability, recordings, and simple multistreaming more than super‑granular layout control.
Add desktop tools like OBS or Streamlabs only if you grow into highly custom scenes, advanced gaming workflows, or very specific encoder requirements.
Prioritize audience and guest experience over technical specs; the right streaming software is the one that lets you consistently go live, look good, and stay focused on your content.

Footnotes

"Streaming software is an application that captures, encodes, and broadcasts live or recorded audio and video to your viewers or streaming platforms." (StreamYard Blog) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
"Streaming software refers to specialized applications that capture, encode, and broadcast audio and video content over the internet." (Restream Learn) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
StreamYard positions itself as a browser-based live production studio with multistreaming on paid plans. (StreamYard Pricing) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰
"Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming." (OBS Project) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
OBS supports multiple streaming protocols and plugins for extended functionality. (OBS – Wikipedia) ↩ ↩²
Paid StreamYard plans record broadcasts in HD and support pre‑recorded streaming up to 8 hours depending on plan. (StreamYard Support) ↩ ↩²
Restream’s Upload & Stream feature limits free users to 15 minutes and 250 MB per file, with higher caps on paid plans. (Restream Support) ↩
Restream self‑serve plans support 2–8 simultaneous channels depending on tier. (Restream Pricing) ↩ ↩²
Streamlabs Desktop allows live streaming from a computer to Twitch, YouTube Live, Facebook Gaming, and more. (Streamlabs Support) ↩